


ifs whens and one days

by fensandmarshes



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Cuddling, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Identity Issues, LadyNoir - Freeform, Mutual Pining, Podfic Welcome, i wrote this in like half an hour; no beta we die like gabriel agreste deserves to
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:33:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25217059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fensandmarshes/pseuds/fensandmarshes
Summary: “When I know who you are,” Chat Noir says sleepily, his breath ghosting against Marinette’s neck, “I’ll tell you every day that I love you.”
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 7
Kudos: 109





	ifs whens and one days

**Author's Note:**

> YES i struggled to get this to be exactly 554 words so that my 2020 word count could be 180k words exactly. NO i regret nothing

“When I know who you are,” Chat Noir says sleepily, his breath ghosting against Marinette’s neck, “I’ll tell you every day that I love you.”

Marinette lets herself smile, though she knows better - she does love this stupid cat. “‘When’, kitty? You sound awfully sure of that fact.” The two of them are leaning against each other, settled on a beam near the top of the Eiffel Tower, far higher than any tourists will ever see. This is their place, and only theirs. 

“I mean it,” Chat insists mulishly. He pulls away from his place nestled into Marinette’s side, rubbing his eyes - Marinette can tell he’s fighting against sleep and losing. “One day. When all of this is over.”

“You’d trust me with that?” Marinette murmurs. Paris hums with quiet life around them, glowing in the dark. 

“I’d trust you with anything, my lady,” Chat says, heartachingly sincere. Marinette breathes a gusty sigh. “Wouldn’t you trust me with the same? Once you  _ could? _ ”

“Of course,” she reassures him quickly, tugging him back into his previous position - head resting on her shoulder, his arm around her waist and her arm around his. “God, Chat - you know I would. One day. But we can’t, not yet.”

“One day,” Chat repeats. There’s the shadow of a smirk creeping across his lips, but in the night it’s more genuine, less performative and more just for her. “Indulge me, then, my lady. What will  _ you  _ do, when you know who I am?”

Marinette can’t fight back her own grin. “I’ll tell you how stupid you are every day,” she teases, and digs her fingers into Chat’s belly. (He’s softer there than he was when they first met; he’s put on muscle, but he’s also put on a layer of fat that he didn’t used to have. It brings a sense of indescribable relief with it. Marinette doesn’t know much about Chat’s home life, but she knows his diet has always been closely monitored - maybe too close for comfort.) “When I know who you are, I’ll - I’ll bring you treats,” she improvises. 

Chat blinks up at her. “Every day?”

“That might be pushing it.” Marinette slides her fingers absently into Chat’s hair; he makes a happy chirp. “I want that so badly,” she confesses.

Chat hums against her shoulder. “Me too.” His voice is barely more than a whisper.

“If things were different, I’d wish Tikki had never chosen me to be Ladybug,” Marinette says. It’s easier when she doesn’t have to look at him; instead, she directs her admission to the city that sprawls beneath them. “But if I wasn’t Ladybug, I would never have met you.”

Chat grins. “You don’t know that!”

“... I suppose I don’t,” Marinette agrees. It’s odd to think about, that perhaps she already knows what Chat looks like without the mask. “But I can’t think like that. Otherwise I’ll go mad trying to figure it out.”

“Ah, my lady,” Chat whispers, and it’s concurrence. “I wish we could be a normal couple, you know?”

Marinette giggles. “Would you take me to a café?”

“When I know who you are, I’ll take you to all the cafés you want,” Chat murmurs. Marinette laughs again, but it dies down into a quieter sigh. “One day?”

The city is quiet. 

“One day,” Marinette says. It’s a promise.

**Author's Note:**

> i haven't written for mlb in ages lol. [here's my carrd.co](https://fensandmarshes.carrd.co) if you want links (tumblr twitter etc - i could just write them but i put effort into this stupid carrd and i WILL force people to look at it <3 i'm always up to chat about ladynoir and secret identity shenanigans!!!


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